Program overview

Human rights law is a system of international and domestic laws designed to protect and promote rights and freedoms which have been identified as essential to human dignity. Human rights norms purport to set standards in a broad range of areas, including political, civil, social, economic and cultural rights, the distribution of socio-economic resources and the status of particular social groups, including women.

Yet these standards will not be achieved without a continued demand by informed human rights professionals. Although human rights are universal and the entitlement of everyone, regardless of status, race, gender, nationality or other distinction, too often they are imperfectly understood and poorly observed.

In recent decades, there has been a great expansion in thinking about and applying human rights concepts and standards, including in Australia and our region. The development of human rights law has altered the ways inwhich nation states, governments, individuals and groups interact at the international, regional and domestic levels.

The aim of this degree program is to train and support future professionals and scholars as leaders in the exciting, dynamic and expanding field of international human rights law and policy.